HelterSkelter
by majormiryti
Summary: --'When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide/Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride/Till I get to the bottom and I see you again...' Or, the continuing adventures of Stephanie Ryan Creed.
1. Viva La Vida

They had heard about her long before she came.

One of the students had overheard the Professor talking about her to his X-Men. He hotly denied, however, using his abilities to eavesdrop on their conversations. Nevertheless, word had spread quickly around the school that Professor Xavier was tracking a rogue mutant.

Rogue quickly took offense and forbid anyone from referring to the mutant using her name within her earshot. The consequences, she warned, would be dire. The students, not wanting to risk her wrath, obliged. After word got out that the girl was traveling with Victor Creed, they simply called her 'the feral,' because, honestly—you'd have to be just that to be seen with Creed. Either that or newly dead.

Then, the biggest shocker of all—the feral and Creed were bounty hunters, working for _Colonel Stryker_. They were kidnapping other mutants and taking them to the colonel for him to _experiment_ on.

The eavesdropper, unfortunately, was caught shortly after that little secret got out. He was put on room arrest until further notice, or the feral was caught, whichever came first.

Some of the students, especially the younger ones, were afraid that the feral would kidnap _them_ for Stryker, but the older ones eventually convinced them that whoever this 'bounty hunter' mutant was, she wouldn't stand a chance against the X-Men.

In late July, the Professor finally pinned down the hunters' location and sent Storm and Cyclops to get the feral.

The students were immediately on edge as soon as Cyclops' car pulled out of sight. The Professor told them to go about their normal activities, and most did, albeit a little more cautiously.

Even the remaining X-Men seemed nervous. Rogue and Bobby were never seen apart. Kurt was teleporting around the mansion at random, never in the same place for long. And, in something most uncharacteristic, Logan was even more tense than usual. He paced around like a caged animal, something he hadn't done in years, and his claws shot out at the slightest noise.

Three days later, Cyclops' car rolled up to the school with a very sullen, black-clad girl in the backseat. Cyclops and Storm dragged her in, kicking and snarling and trying to fight her way out of their grip.

Yes, the other students decided, she was most definitely feral.

The eavesdropped was let off restriction two days later, and he promptly hurried to the Professor's office door. He could barely believe his ears.

He told his colleagues everything that he'd heard, and as always, soon everyone knew.

Now, on the fourth day since the feral's arrival, the students were milling about in the hallways, talking to one another, using their powers for pranks. None of them—other than Rogue and Bobby—had even seen her up close, so most had put her in the backs of their minds.

Wait. What was that?

"Here she comes." The whisper passed quickly down the hall.

"Right now?"

"Is it really her?"

"Ssh!"

Conversations died as she passed each clique. They all stared at her, and she stared back, seemingly looking each and every one of them in the eye.

She had an intimidating and confident presence, like the world was her stage and you were merely an unimportant and disposable extra. Her hair was naturally black, the same color as her clothes.

They watched her all the way down the hall until she turned a corner and went out of sight. Then, the excited buzz of conversation started again, this time about her.

_She_ was the new student.

_She_ was the one who hunted mutants with Victor Creed.

_She_ was Wolverine's daughter.

_

* * *

_**A/N: You guys asked for it, you got it. HelterSkelter is officially the sequel to Freak Like Me. I decided to go ahead and publish early, since school starts next week, and there's way of telling when I'll be able to update. xP  
Like I've been saying, I can't make any promises on the quality of the story, but hey, we'll see what happens.  
Another thing--I told y'all I was doing something different this time around, and I am. For starters, I have a beta reader this time! -waves to beta- And there was much rejoicing!  
The other thing is that each chapter is going to be named after a specific song, because I felt like it. For example, this chapter's song is Viva La Vida by Coldplay. If you want, you can go look up each song, listen to it, and try to see how it ((or certain parts of it)) fit the chapter. Sometimes it'll be obvious, sometimes not, sometimes I just pick 'em for the overall tone. Y'all are just gonna have to guess. ;) Mental excercise is good, lol.  
Sorry for the long AN, but things needed saying. I hope you enjoy the story! -bows out-**


	2. Another Brick In The Wall, Pt II

Day four at Xavier's.

Okay, actually the _end_ of day four, but honestly, who cares. I had actually been allowed to see the rest of the mansion, albeit while being watched: by Cyclops.

The other students had stared at me wherever I went, and I'd overheard some of them whispering about me. Saying I was a feral. I would've gone berserker on them, but Cyclops tapped his red sunglasses as a warning.

I really hated that guy.

Everyone just kind of left me alone, which was fine by me. I _hated_ being around people, exceptions being Victor and Dad, oddly enough. Most of the students didn't have any classes, seeing how it was July, so that meant they were _everywhere._

The worst part, though, was when Storm told me I'd have to share a room with one of the other girls.

"Can't I just pitch a tent next to the basketball court?!" I begged. "Anything but a roommate!"

"It won't be that bad, " she said. "I think you'll like the girl you're sharing with."

Great. "It's still around _other people!_ In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the most _social_ person around."

She gave me that look, the one that said 'Do what I say, or punishment shall be swift and severe.'

I growled and bared my teeth, but skulked into the room anyway. I didn't feel like getting struck by lightning...again.

The room itself was pretty average. Nothing worth noting, except for the window.

The window!

I tossed my beat-up backpack on the first bed and ran to look outside. I could clearly see the mansion's front yard, and more importantly, the fence surrounding the property. From here, it looked like I could jump out the window and make it out the gate in one straight shot, hopefully fast enough that no one could catch me. The two-story drop would hurt, but I could shrug it off.

"Nice view, huh?" a voice said behind me. I turned around to see a girl sitting on the other bed holding a book. She looked vaguely familiar, but a lot of people did to me. Probably ran across her back when I was hiking the country.

"And _you_ would be my roommate," I said.

She nodded. "I'm Quinn Murphy. You're Stephanie Howlett?"

"Creed."

"Gotcha...how'd _that_ happen?"

I gave her a look. "Am I not allowed to change my name or something?"

"I...guess so. If you really wanted to."

"Good." I stared out the window again. "Besides, Victor's my uncle..."

Quinn's book fell on the floor. "Your _what?!_"

_This is gonna be fun._ "You heard me." I walked over and fell backwards onto the bed with my backpack.

"I thought you were Logan's daughter!"

"They warned you about me." I laughed darkly. "Yeah, I am."

"Then--how--he doesn't _have_ any brothers!"

"Tell that to Victor." I looked up across the room at her. She had long, wavy, reddish-brown hair, bright green eyes, and a smattering of freckles on her face. Her outfit consisted of flared blue jeans and a loose grey shirt that seemed vaguely hippie-ish, what with the 'LOVE' and 'PEACE' and such on it.

And she was my freakin' _roommate._ I had a _hippie_ for a _roommate._

I. Was going. To die.

---------------

"You're not some kind of a hippie, are you?"

Quinn looked up from her book. "Me?"

"Unless there's somebody else in here."

"Just making sure you weren't talking to invisible people."

"Well, I'm not. So are you a freaky 'save-the-earth-go green-Lucy-in-the-sky-all-you-need-is-love' hippie-type or what?"

"Sort of...go green, as long as we have electricity. Lucy in the sky, no. All you need is love, kinda. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Quinn shrugged and went back to her book. It got really quiet really fast.

After a while, I leaned forward and rested my chin on my hands. "What book is that, anyway?"

"_Pride and Prejudice._"

I made a face, at least until she added two more words—

"_And Zombies._"

* * *

  
**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's taken me so long to update. Like I said, school started back, and for the most part, it is _not_ fun. xP  
Redoing my room isn't helping much with being able to type out/send to beta/edit/publish chapters, sooo...yeah.  
But I'm glad y'all are back. =D  
Anywho, just thought I'd let you guys know that this chapter's title song is by the one and only Pink Floyd. So...go listen if you haven't already. ;D  
Ohoh yeah, and I saw Wolverine again. xDD**


	3. Paperback Writer

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry to tease you guys with this, but it needed doing.**

**Life has been kind of crazy as of late, since school started and such, so just wanted to let EVERYone know that Helter Skelter won't be updating for a while. I'm sure all the people who are still in school understand, so...yeah. Let me get to where I have some spare time, and I'll update whenever I can.**

And...I hate to admit this...but the dreaded Writer's Block has decided to hang out at my house. DDDDx If anyone's got any cures, please, I beg you, let me know! 

**Sorry ((again)) for wasting your time today, but hey, other people do it, why can't I? ;D  
**

**You guys still rock, by the way.**

**--GeekChic42**

P.S. Ohohyeah! Just thought I'd let y'all know that today is my birthday...*parrrtayy* And this Wednesday ((09/09/09)) is International Beatles Day, for I declare it so.  
See, you can't even come here without learning something! xD 


	4. What Is This Feeling?

"So why don't you have the metal claws like your dad?" Quinn asked me out of the blue a couple of days later.

"Why do you care?"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to get all defensive like that, you know. It's just a question."

"Fine, if you're going to be that way, here's your bloody answer:

"One, I don't know how they do it, but from what I understand, it's deadly. Or something close.

"Two, the adamantium is _extremely_ rare. Stryker wouldn't waste any on me; he'd save it for someone like Victor.

"Three, I don't necessarily want metal bones.

"Four, did I mention how dangerous it is?"

"Okay, I get it!" Quinn laughed.

I glared at her. "I'm serious."

"I know."

"My _dad_ almost died."

That sobered her up. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm."

She whistled, but didn't say anything more.

----------------

I looked at the clock beside my bed. Two AM. Quinn was out like a light across the room from me. Perfect.

I climbed out of bed and crept over to the window. This would be the seventh night in a row that I'd been able to go up onto the roof. It was still pretty hot out, being the very last few days of July, but it not so much that being outside at night was uncomfortable.

The window opened with a loud _creeak._ I winced and froze, but Quinn didn't move. With a sigh of relief, I started to climb out, positive I was safe.

Until the lights flicked on. "Steph?"

_Damn._ "...Yeah?

"It's two in the morning. What the crap are you doing?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Uh-huh. Look, despite what you think, I can usually tell when people are lying."

I shut the window and leaned up against it. "Is that your mutation?"

She shook her head. "I wish, though."

"Well, what is?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she looked at the lamp on her bedside table, grinning absentmindedly. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

What did that have to do with anything?! "Does it involve slamming someone's head into a pencil?"

"No."

"Okay, then. What is it?"

Quinn dragged her table into the walking space between out beds. "No matter what you do, this lamp is gonna stay lit. Try anything you can think of, but it won't go off."

I scoffed. "That's not a trick, it's a gimmick."

"Just try."

I observed the lamp. It was fairly average, no obvious tricks about it, and it looked almost exactly like the Pixar lamp. "Alright, fine." Quinn's smile widened as I went over and yanked the plug out of the wall...but the bulb stayed lit.

I scowled and unscrewed the bulb. Still lit.

Quinn was now grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I looked up at her, holding the lightbulb in my hand. "You're electrokinetic."

She nodded and leaned backwards, still grinning.

"I remember you now," I continued. "You were one of the first ones Victor and I caught."

The smile dropped off her face, and the bulb went dark. "Thank you for bringing up that most _un_pleasant incident."

"So why didn't you mention it?"

"I was _trying_ the whole 'forgeddaboudit' routine, trying to be _human_ and not hate your guts."

"Oh, so you _are_ an 'all-you-need-is-love' hippie!"

She gave me an irked look. "But I _escaped_, and that's all that matters."

I raised an eyebrow. "How'd you do it?"

"A bunch of other mutants broke it and got a few of us out. They were led by some Cajun guy. I think he got captured, though."

"Gotcha."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired." The rest of the lights in the room turned off, leaving only the moonlight shining through the window.

* * *

**A/N: Ha, Remy's in. xD  
If anyone can think of a better trick for an electrokinetic, let me know. Seriously. I'll go back and change it!  
Ummm, this chapter's song is from the musical Wicked.  
And I think that's it. =D**


	5. You May Be Right

It was a day almost worthy of celebration--I had survived a whole month at Xavier's. With a hippie roommate, I might add.

The students who had gone home for the summer were coming back now that it was the beginning of September. Quinn started to hang out with her friends, and for the most part, they left me alone.

Actually, most everybody left me alone. Even the X-Men didn't bother me too much, with the exception of Cyclops. I was starting to think he was stalking me or something. Creeper.

There was one time when I could escape from Red-Eyes--night. While everyone else was sleeping, I'd climb up onto the roof, explore the grounds, or just wander around inside the mansion. Apparently Dad was a night owl, too, and this led to some situations that could best be described as 'odd.'

Like the time I was walking the mansion and ended up wandering into the kitchen to commandeer some food. He was sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen, drinking a beer and looking quite tired for once.

"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?" he asked as I began digging through the fridge.

"Guess insomnia runs in the family." I grabbed some stuff to make a stack of sandwiches and set it on the counter. I'd promised some to the never-sleeping TV kid in exchange for staying quiet about my excursions.

"_What_ are you doing?"

"Making food, what does it look like?"

He rolled his eyes and took another swig of beer. Just for kicks, I took another one of his drinks from the fridge and plonked it beside the other food.

"Mine. Put it back."

I ignored him and started making my sandwiches.

"Stephanie. Now."

No response on my part.

There was a _shink_ as three of his claws slid out.

I gave him a dirty look and exchanged the beer for a Monster energy drink. Dad just hung his head.

"Stephanie--"

"Um, no. It's Steph."

He raised an eyebrow. "Right..."

"Nobody calls me 'Stephanie' anymore. Not even Victor."

"Victor Creed, the mutant hunter."

I nodded. "Who happens to be a mutant as well. And apparently your older brother."

Dad nearly did a spit take, but managed to keep it together.

"Yeah, that's what he did, too. When I told him you were my dad, that is."

"I don't _have_ any brothers."

"And he also mentioned that you're amnesiac..."

"I think I'd remember any psychotic brothers I had."

"Not if you got shot five times in the forehead."

"_What?!_"

I feigned a shocked gasp. "Oh! I've said too much!" I slapped the last sandwich together and carried the plate out, dropping a couple off to the TV kid on the way back to my room.

------------

There were other times, though, that were actually pretty cool, like when Dad found me in the garage examining Cyclops' car.

"You like it?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Don't _do_ that!"

He grinned. "Summers' car, you like it?"

"Well, when I'm not trapped inside it, yes." I suppose talking about cars and such is easier for members of the male species, especially those who haven't seen their kid in, oh, about five years.

"You wanna drive it?"

My eyes got huge. "_Scott's_ car?"

"What about it?"

"Won't we get in trouble?"

"As long as you don't wreck it, not too much."

"Works for me!" I popped the lock on the door and slid into the driver's seat. Dad jammed one of his claws into the ignition, and the engine roared to life.

"How many time have you driven before?"

I thought back. "Twice. Once by myself, and once with Victor."

"And how'd those go?"

"Well, the first time I almost got arrested..."

"The other time?"

"We don't talk about that."

I heard him mutter an expletive under his breath. No matter. My foot pressed the gas and we went rocketing down the driveway and onto the street.

---------

A few hours later, Dad and I pushed the mostly-intact car back into the garage--under the direct supervision of the Professor and Red-Eyes himself. I'd been told that I would fix all the dents, replace the tires, wash the thing, _and_ fix whatever we messed up in the engine. _Or else._

But it was so worth it.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm SO sorry I kept y'all waiting this long! ((And to soon2Bme, sorry I didn't run this one by you first; I wanted to get it published. *sheepish*)) I was on vacation, and it was a blast! Once I got back, though, Chronic Procrastinitis set in. Yeah. I'm a horrible procrastinator. Dx  
But I did see Where The Wild Things Are. And I hereby order everybody reading this to go see it NOW. It's incredible. Oh, bring tissues, though.  
I hereby promise I shall neverever leave you guys for that long without an update again! Unless, of course, I have a really good excuse. xD  
This chapter's song is by Billy Joel. I love his older music, like "Piano Man" and "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me." And this song, of course.**


	6. Maxwell's Silver Hammer

I wake up to find a strong hand clamped over my mouth. My scream is stifled by the hand clamping tighter.

"Shh!" a familiar voice hisses. "Do you want the whole place woken up?"

"Victor!" I whisper back, peeling his hand off my mouth. "Took you long enough. I've been here for _months!_"

"_So_ sorry. Grab your stuff, let's go."

I obey, putting on my coat on as we walk and carrying my boots. "You have a car?"

"No."

"Do you want me to get one? Cyclops has a really nice--"

"No."

"Oh. 'Kay, then."

We creep out of the mansion and dart across the grounds to the street.

"Wow, Vicky, I didn't know you were this good at spy work."

He rolls his eyes. "Not this again."

"Oh, there's no escaping now."

"Wonderful."

I notice that the sky has become visibly brighter. "Hey, where are we going, anyway?"

He chuckles darkly. "Why?"

"Just curious..." I'm slightly bewildered. Victor doesn't _just laugh_ for no reason.

Actually, he doesn't really laugh at all.

"Back to D.C. Stryker wants to talk to you."

"Gotcha." This doesn't seem right. First off, Stryker _never_ wants to talk to me. And maybe it's just the time of day, but Victor's being creepier than usual. I fall back a few steps, considering going back to the mansion.

"Are you coming?" He turns around, smirking for no apparent reason and showing off his fangs as his nails extend into claws.

I'm officially confused and seriously freaked out. "Victor...what's going on?"

He steps closer and I step back. I'm about to turn tail and run when he swipes at me, raking huge gashes in my neck. I don't think much of it.

Until I realize that the wounds aren't healing. That warm stuff running down my neck? Yeah, blood.

Ironically, the sun is up and the sky is blue. A beautiful day.

Victor's grin has gotten wider and more malicious than I've ever seen. The blood dripping from his claws makes a puddle on the ground. I put my hand up to try and stop the bleeding, but it doesn't work. Not much will on that sort of thing.

My line of vision grows darker and darker. The last thing I see is Victor walking away, not even looking back.

And all is black.


	7. Glass Onion

**A/N: Psych.**

* * *

I jerked bolt upright in my bed, my hand still on my neck.

_Wait, what? Victor just--I was--huh?_

A dream. That's all it was. A terrifying, ghastly dream.

I felt brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

But it had seemed so _real_...whereas most dreams are weird and slightly trippy, this one had been like it was actually happening.

_But Victor wouldn't kill me. Would he?_

I stayed awake the rest of the night.

--------

As I stumbled down the stairs the next morning, I literally ran into Rogue. She flinched as I staggered backwards. "Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. Your dad was just wondering where you were."

"Why?" I yawned.

"It's past noon."

What a wake-up call. "Crap." I dashed back upstairs, threw on some decent clothes, and raced back downstairs.

"There you are," Dad's voice said behind me. "Sleep well?"

"Ha. No." I answered as I turned around. "I barely slept at all." He raised an eyebrow, so I continued. "You know how most dreams are really wild and make you wonder what, exactly, was in your food the day before?"

"Sure..."

"Not here."

"Oh, I see," he said, chomping on a cigar. "Kept up by a bad dream."

If there was ever any doubt that Dad and Victor were related, it was gone. Both had the same way of soaking their words in sarcasm when they thought something was especially pathetic.

I glared at him. "Hey, you have them, too."

"Your point?"

"You have nightmares all the time. I can hear you scream from this side of the mansion."

He started walking off. "Whatever, kid."

"About being in the army," I called after him.

Dad stopped. "I was never in the army."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, just because you can't remember something doesn't mean it never happened."

"How do you know it did?"

I grinned mischievously. "It's nice hanging out with your uncle. Who's _not_ amnesiac."

"And you believe everything Creed says."

"Uh, maybe."

"_Why?_"

"Maybe because he didn't _run away_ like you did," I hissed. "Maybe because, you know, he's not a freakin' _coward_, leaving at the first sign of any trouble with your kid."

I gave him one last venomous glare and skulked off.

A few minutes later, the mansion went crazy as the X-Men bolted out, presumably on Xavier's orders. Their jet took off soon after, leaving us only under the supervision of the Professor.

Only. Yeah, right. But he _was_ in a wheelchair, so maybe...

"Hey, Quinn!" I shouted, a plan in place in my head.

She peeked around a corner, sipping a protein shake. "Yeah?"

"How much do you know about motorcycles?"

She frowned. "What are you up to?"

I grinned evilly. "My dad's bike could use a tune-up."

"Oh, no. You're not getting me mixed up in this."

"I'll pay you."

Raised eyebrow. "How much?"

"Fifty bucks?"

She took another sip of her shake. "Fifty?"

I rolled my eyes. For a hippie, this girl knew how to haggle. "Fifty plus the White Album?"

She had to think about that one for a minute.

"Oh, _come on!_ The White Album, Quinn! _White Album!_"

"You've got a point there."

"So..."

"Deal." She cracked her neck. "Which way to the garage?"


	8. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

Things around the mansion were tense.

The mission that afternoon had come dangerously close to disaster. Nobody was willing to discuss it, including Logan. His argument with Steph that morning hadn't helped either.

She'd basically called him a coward and said that she hated him. While he could have taken it from anyone else without even blinking, hearing those words come out of his own kid's mouth...that bit.

In short, Logan was more than a little stressed.

He meandered to the garage, back in street clothes. He _hated_ the uniforms Xavier made them wear. But, he supposed, they could be worse. No ideas immediately came to mind, but still.

He found his motorcycle and got on, turning the key to start the engine. He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but--

Huh. The engine didn't start.

He frowned and turned the key the other way. Still nothing.

Right set of keys.

Full tank of gas.

He'd just taken the bike out early that morning, so the battery wasn't dead.

This was strange.

He turned the key again, but nothing happened.

Great, a brand-new bike and it was already busted.

_Maybe not..._ He unsheathed a claw. This trick had worked multiple times on Summers' car. With only a brief pause, Logan jammed his metal claw into the bike's ignition.

And promptly received the biggest electrical shock of his life.

He cursed as he yanked the claw out of the ignition, the volts still running up and down his entire frame. He had a suspicion about what had happened...

------

"You know what would be really awesome right now, Quinn?" I said.

"A mango lassi?"

I stared at her. "What...never mind, I don't want to know. A webcam is what I was going to say. Rigged up in the garage so we can see my dad's reaction."

She shrugged, indifferent. "You'd have to pay me more."

"Like what?"

"A new hair straightener, for starters. And if you wanted to watch it on my laptop, a girls' movie night with me and my friends."

"Never mind, then."

She smirked. "That's what I thought."

Footsteps started pounding up the stairs from the garage.

"Oh, crap." I jumped up from my bed and put my ear to the door. "Busted."

Quinn shook her head, not looking up from her book. "Don't say I didn't warn you..."

The steps were on our hall now. "Crap, crap, crap. This is not good, not good at all."

"What, are you the Whether Man now?"

I stared at her. "The_ what?!_"

"Never mind."

I ran and jerked the window open. "If he asks where I am, it's not here."

"Sure, whatever."

"Remember who's buying you the White Album."

"Mmhmm..." She was totally lost in her book.

I climbed out the window and onto the roof, where I realized the idiocy of my plan: Dad would see the open window and figure out where I was.

"Quinn!" I hissed, leaning down as far as I dared.

"Hm?"

"Shut the window!"

"Fine..." A few seconds later, I heard the signature _creeak_ of the window closing.

Safe.

-------

Logan threw the door open to find only Steph's roommate, sitting on her bed, absorbed in some book.

"Do you know where my daughter is?"

She nodded.

"Well, are you gonna tell me?"

"Up on the roof."

"Hiding."

"Yeah, from you."

"Gotcha, thanks." He let his claws out and stormed out of the room.

-------

I almost laughed to myself. _It worked, it worked, it worked. _

The plan to get back at my dad was a success, with only a little cash out of my pocket--and Cyclops' pocket, too, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt me.

_Shink_. "Nice trick with my motorcycle, Stephanie."

I screamed and nearly jumped out my skin. "Dad! What the heck?!"

His claws shone in the moonlight. "You get your friend to help you rig that up?"

"I don't _have _friends, I have people who I bribe to help me. Kinda like the mafia, except I'm only one person. But yes, and I'm paying a heck of a lot, too."

"Not the smartest move on your part," he growled.

I leaned back casually, propping myself up on my hands. _Calm...act calm. _"Good point. I mean, the eighty bucks--fifty for the initial bribe, then thirty for the White Album, you see--could have gone to a ton of other places--like in change in Scott Summers' shoes--but I consider it a good investment."

"You will get down off this roof and you will fix my bike. Now."

I stood up, staring him in the eye and letting my own claws out. "No."

His glare was so fierce that words weren't required.

After a couple of minutes like that, I backed down. "Alright, fine, I get the picture."

"Good." He sheathed his claws with another _shink_, still watching me.

I shot him a mischievous grin, then turned around neatly and stepped forward--

Straight off the roof.

* * *

**A/N: Walking on change hurts. xD  
Yeah, sorry it took me so long to update...I'm a horrible procrastinator. Plus, school is "blaargh," as my brother would say. Civics and government are horrible. xP Also plus, been working on my HISHEs for a while. Also also plus...oh, forget it. I'm lazy, that's all. But in my laziness, I saw The Princess and The Frog AND Sherlock Holmes! Both are awesome ((Robert Downey, Jr. is the MAN!)) and you must go see them. Now.  
In other news, I must have Chris Martin's Viva La Vida jacket. They were auctioning one off a couple days ago, but I didn't have 4300 pounds lying around. SO, I'm going to make one myself. I. Will. Have. This. Jacket. ((Who listens to Coldplay too much?! *raises hand*))**

**Oh, one more thing--General Larry Platt's American Idol audition ROCKS.**


	9. Barbossa Is Hungry

The fall from the roof _did_ hurt, but hey, when you heal, pretty much any stunt is fair game. Everything but my left shoulder, the one Stryker had yanked out of its socket, was fine in half an hour or so. The shoulder took two days, which was puzzling and a bit frightening. I wanted to ask Dad if something like that had ever happened to him, but I figured it wasn't such a good idea, considering how angry he still was. He'd finally stepped up into his role as my father and decided to punish, probably for several reasons. He was hard-pressed to find something that he considered bad enough, but find it he did.

A few days after the rooftop incident, I found myself in Kitty Pryde's room along with Quinn and two other girls. I was lurking in the corner, staying as far away from them as possible. "The hippie and the prep, best friends. Never would have guessed."

Kitty glared at me. "I'm _not_ preppy."

"Yes, you are, dear. Look at your closet for starters. Everything in there is Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle—"

"You wanna bet?"

I smirked. "Sure, go for it."

"Fine. We'll find out who's right after the movie."

"You're kidding, right?" I said. "Out of all the movies out there, you picked _Across the Universe_?"

"It's _good!_" Quinn protested.

"You're a hippie, of course you think it's good!"

"That doesn't make a difference. It's still a good movie."

One of the other girls coughed in a mild protest, but nobody took any notice of her. I would have groused more, but Kitty had taken the opportunity and started the thing.

About halfway through, while Bono was singing "I Am The Walrus" on a Technicolor antigravity bus, I piped up again. "This movie could _end_ all drug abuse." The others gave me quizzical looks, so I continued. "I mean, just look at it! This scene alone is so trippy, it would scare people away from illegal substances with one nationwide showing!"

"Not to mention the Mr. Kite bit," the girl who had objected earlier added. The other three ignored us and continued watching.

When it was finally over, Kitty got up and went to her closet. "You still on for that bet?"

"Um, yeah."

"Alright, then…but if I'm right--"

"I know, I gotta pay up. What are the stakes?"

She smirked. "I'll think of something."

Logan headed down to the kitchen. Insomnia had struck again, and he needed a beer. It was around two in the morning, so he didn't expect anyone to be up. Well, except for that one kid who never slept, but he didn't really count.

"Steph?! What are you doing in here?!"

She was covered in some sort of white sauce, and there were cucumber shavings in her hair. "I lost a bet with Kitty."

"What?" He wasn't surprised that his daughter gambled, but what would she bet on with Kitty? "How?"

Steph threw the towel she was holding down onto the counter. "She had a pair of shoes from Payless."

He put his hand to his eyes. "I don't want to know."

"No, you don't." She wiped her face with the back of her hand as she skulked out of the kitchen. It had little to no effect. "If you see Kitty, will you tell her her chicken tzatziki is ready? I'm going to bed…"

Logan was about to answer, but had to do a double-take. "Her _what?!_"

"Hey, where'd Steph go?" Quinn asked from her bed-on-the-floor. She and Kitty were the only ones still awake, the others having fallen asleep shortly after Steph left.

"Kitchen, remember?" Kitty answered, not looking up from painting her toenails. "She lost the bet."

"Shouldn't she be back by now? That stuff doesn't take that long to make; I've done it before."

Kitty shrugged. "Do you care?"

"She's just like her dad, you know. She gets angry enough, she'll run—"

"Again, do you care?"

Quinn's eyes narrowed. "_Or_ she'll murder someone. Do you want that someone to be you?"

Kitty stopped. "No, she wouldn't."

"How do you know? You're not her roommate."

"And you know for sure?"

"She was hunting down mutants with Victor Creed, remember? I wouldn't put it past her to kill you _or_ turn you in."

She scoffed. "Only the little kids believe that. She can disappear for good for all I care."

Quinn shrugged. "Fine, but don't blame me when she shows up dressed like Freddy Krueger and kills you in your sleep." She snapped her fingers and out went the light. "Good night!"

Kitty sat in the dark. "I hate horror movies."

"I know."

"Really, _really_ hate them."

"I know."

"That was the point, wasn't it."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"And you say you're a pacifist."

"Pacifism only means that I don't support war. It doesn't mean I don't support scaring my friends." Quinn said no more.

Kitty stayed awake another two hours. When she finally fell asleep, her dreams were plagued by psychos with razor fingers and bone claws.

* * *

**A/N: Oh. My word. Where has the time gone? It's been forever since this story updated! Uggh, I am so, so sorry, y'all. I could say that I was kidnapped by a mad scientist and only just now escaped with a little help from my friends, but that would be...only partially true. ;D Mad scientist in question is Dr. Horrible, and I can't get the songs out of my head. I love that musical, I really do.**  
**BUT ANYWHO.**  
**Life has just been getting in the way of writing and such, not to mention writing for Script Frenzy in April ((that was a defecto epicus)) but again, I am so sorry for not updating. xP Forgive me, oh awesome ones!**  
**And by the way, in case you hadn't noticed, Lady Adrianna has changed her UN once again! Must have conflicting personalities. ;D**


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